China's embassy in the UK has defended the "legitimate and reasonable" decision to rescind the BBC's license to broadcast its World News channel in China.

British foreign secretary Dominic Raab yesterday attacked the move as an "unacceptable curtailing of media freedom."

However, in a statement published on its website, the Chinese embassy noted that all countries exercise supervision over media. It reiterated that the ruling was based on recent reporting by the BBC which regulators judged to be in violation of a requirement to report truthfully and without bias.

The "BBC's serious violation of broadcasting rules on accuracy and impartiality has undermined China's national interests and ethnic unity and failed to meet the requirements for overseas channels to broadcast in China's mainland," the embassy statement said.

The BBC has said it is "disappointed" by the ruling.